Claims that a doctors' ballot led to the resignations of Manx Care's chief executive and chair are a 'misrepresentation of reality', a senior medic has insisted.

The Medical Staff Committee (MSC), which represents doctors at Noble's Hospital, claimed earlier this week that its call for a vote of no confidence in the Manx Care board led to the announcements that chief executive Teresa Cope and chair Professor Wendy Reid would step down.

It said that of the 133 doctors across all grades who participated in the ballot, 88% voted that they had no confidence in the current leadership.

But Dr Joannis Vamvakopoulos, a consultant endocrinologist and general physician at Noble's Hospital, has challenged that claim.

He said: 'This is a misrepresentation of reality and of what actually happened. The reality is that, at best, the MSC only represents doctors working at Noble's Hospital - not GPs, psychiatrists, locums, doctors in training and others.'

Dr Vamvakopoulos claimed MSC chairman Andre Risha - who has announced he is standing as a House of Keys candidate in Middle in September's general election - organised the motion of no confidence without any formal explanation, discussion or debate.

He said the in-person paper ballot was conducted on May 26 and 27, by which point Manx Care's chief executive and chair had already announced their intention to step down.

Dr Vamvakopoulos said voting rights had been extended to non-substantive MSC members, including resident doctors and locum doctors, and claimed there was no meaningful independent oversight of the count.

He said: 'In reality, voter turnout was around half of the substantive MSC membership, likely rendering the quoted "88% of its members" a de facto minority.'

Dr Vamvakopoulos also said that shortly before the ballot, Mr Risha had himself faced a motion of no confidence in his leadership of the MSC.

He said a requested debate on the issue never took place and claimed the vote itself was conducted through an 'ad hoc poll on the MSC's WhatsApp group'.